Christmas Eve
by RISVULove
Summary: "I never see her anymore, I get it she's EADA now, she's important and extremely dedicated but it's Christmas Eve for Gods sake! I want my girlfriend home with me where she belongs!" Oneshot. (Kind of) Christmas fic!


AN: Okay, it's not even December and I realise it may be a little early for (a sort of) Christmas fic but I don't really mind, this came to mind so..

R&R please!

xx

The Christmas tree lights light up the dim apartment and I sigh, it's 11pm Christmas Eve and she's still not home!

I relax into the couch, that's the usual with her lately, never home before 12am. I never see her anymore, I get it she's EADA now, she's important and extremely dedicated but it's Christmas Eve for Gods sake! I want my girlfriend home with me where she belongs!

I check my cell, as I've compulsively done for the last couple of hours, hoping, wishing for a call, a text something telling me why she isn't home.

I wrap the blanket further around my shoulders and flick through the tv channels, hitting play on some nature documentary I'm not all that interested in, something's she's recorded months ago but still hasn't gotten to watched.

That'll tell you how long it's been since she's been home at a decent hour

After about twenty minute I hear her key in the lock and sigh, what should I do? It's Christmas, do I really want to confront her and cause an argument? What's my other option? Keep my opinions to myself - something I promised her I'd never do.

"Son of a-" I hear her hiss walking down the hall and when she walks into the living room she must notice something's off, that wouldn't be hard though, the tv's mute and the only light in the room is from the tree

"Hey" she says from behind me, a carefulness in her voice I've never heard, well, until now

"Hi" I say cooly "Happy Christmas" I sound brutal, harsh and although I'm hurt at her being away so much I'd hate to upset her.. as much as she's upset me

She clears her throat and rests against the side of the couch "Yeah, you too Case. I'm sorry I'm-"

"I know"

I catch her nod out of the corner of my eye, only now the scene is slightly blurred by tears which I hastily try and blink back, to no avail

She obviously notices me crying and moves in beside me, wrapping her arms around me and rocking me gently, whispering gentle words into my ear

This is as close to her as I've been in months, sure she sleeps beside me and is wake up in her arms but that's slumber induced, not like this, this is from her love for me

"Where were you tonight Alex?" I ask through my sobs "what was so important to keep you away on the holidays"

"Sweetheart, I had a meeting-"

"On Christmas Eve? So what, your meaning to tell me other people are in my position right now? Crying because their other halves didn't bother coming home on Christmas Eve, or prioritised work over family-"

"Casey I get it-"

I cut her off, not finished "No see I don't think you do. I haven't held you in months! I never see you anymore! When you come in I'm either passed out in bed or you pass out after a few minutes. When was the last time we had a proper conversation that wasn't about work?"

"Casey, I know it's been hard with the promotion and I'm sorry you feel as bad as you do about this but sweetheart it's my job"

"Yeah, and I'll always be a very distant second to it, won't I?" I ask and she pinches the bridge of her nose

"Of course you're not second to my job!-"

"Well that's how I feel! Wouldn't you feel that way too if I never came home? And d'ya know what's worse, for a while I actually considered the possibility that you might be cheating on me"

"Cheating" she lets out an exasperated breath "of course I'm not cheating on you Casey"

"So what? What's so important that you have to stay past 11 every night?"

She takes my hand "Have you noticed I've stopped drinking?"

I scowl and think back a couple of months, she had soda at my birthday dinner, she had water at Rena's party

"Okay.."

"I joined AA"

My eyes widen slightly "Um, you... okay"

"I had a problem, I still have it,only now it's controlled"

"You didn't drink all that much-"

"Around you I didn't. At work I'd nearly use it as a reward - 'just one more page and I'll have a small glass'- It was bad Case"

"How long are you in if for?"

"Couple of months. My meetings have been on every second day at 6 and I'm missing out on a lot of work. I know I haven't been home and I'm sorry but I wasn't going to let work suffer because of my stupid mistakes"

"So you'd let our relationship suffer instead?" I ask and she sighs

"I don't mean it to Casey, I honestly don't.. I'm sorry I hurt you"

I nod "Its not the being away that's hurt me as much as the lying. Alex, didn't you trust me enough to tell me about this?"

"I trust you plenty, I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to know"

"But Al, why?" I ask and she shakes her head, moving a bit away from me, doing what she always does when she's upset, push me away

"Do you not think it's hard enough for me to accept this as well as telling you? How would I even go about it? Casey, I love you and I don't want you to look at me differently because of a mistake I made"

"I love you too Al, you're my girlfriend and AA is not going to make me look at you differently at all, not in a bad way anyway. It makes you stronger, you're getting help for a problem"

She nods and I move closer to her "C'mere Al" I open my arms and she leans into my embrace. I whisper gentle words against her ear and after several minutes of what she thinks is silent sobs against me she pulls back

"Thank you Casey, you don't know how much that means. Happy Christmas"

"Happy Christmas baby"


End file.
